Beyond Apple Juice: 11 Kids’ Drinks Around the World from Beyond Apple Juice: 11 Kids’ Drinks Around the World (Slideshow)

Beyond Apple Juice: 11 Kids’ Drinks Around the World (Slideshow)

Beyond Apple Juice: 11 Kids’ Drinks Around the World

Kids in the States might love their apple juice, but what are kids around the world quenching their thirst with each day?

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Australia

Down Under, while kids have access to the goods like Pepsi and Coke, they’d rather reach for a cordial. A cordial is a fruit-based concentrated syrup that mixes with water, similar to Kool Aid. Last year, Australian-owned and -made Fruities hit the market as the only kid’s cordial free of preservatives and anything artificial, “so mum can be free from worry.”

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Croatia

Orangina is a favorite citrus-y bubbly treat for kids in Croatia. It’s their soft drink of choice, but if their parents have a say, they’d rather make them a very weak latte. Drinking coffee is a social thing in Croatia. Families gather together at cafés to catch up with friends and it is not uncommon for parents to serve their little ones a little coffee with loads of milk mixed in.

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England

Tea is taken seriously in England, and they start young. In fact, when someone says "let me be mother," they are offering to play the role of a mother pouring tea for her family. In 1950, it was reported that 55 percent of 4-year-olds drank tea with their meals. While that number has dropped with the ease of finding soft drinks and juices, the tea trend is back on the rise in the U.K. as parents look to combat obesity and sugar overload.

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India

There’s not much Indians love more than a good movie and mangoes. Maaza, the most popular mango juice brand in India, has been around since 1976, and in 1993 was acquired by Coca-Cola. Popular with kids for its bright taste and color, it’s thicker than juice, not quite a purée.

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New Zealand

Kids in New Zealand are reaching for cans of Milo, a chocolate malt beverage that can be prepared with hot or cold milk or water. Produced by Nestlé, Milo tapped into its market and launched the Play Movement campaign to encourage kids and parents to incorporate play into every day. Also very popular in Australia and Indonesia, Milo is similar to Nesquik, but the powder has a crunchier consistency. And the best part? Leaving some crunchy powder at the top and scooping it out with your spoon.

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Italy

On every breakfast table in Italy is a mini glass bottle of succo di frutta, fruit juice. Despite its name, it’s nowhere close to the fruit juice sold in the States. Italian succo has more of a pulp or purée consistency and comes in flavors like apricot, pear, and peach. Sounds like they are priming kids for the Bellinis that come later in life.

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Russia

In Russia, fruit juice is a homemade affair. Kompot is a mix of whatever fruit you have on hand — apples, peaches, sour cherries, or strawberries, for example — boiled down in water (usually without sugar if it’s ripe enough) until the water is infused. It’s then cooled and enjoyed by kids all day long.

Flickr/Jonathan Lin

South Korea

In South Korea, kids aren’t afraid of their probiotics. The drinking-yogurt aisle alone in South Korean supermarkets is bigger than some Manhattan bodegas. Yakuruto — made by the Yakult Corporation, one of the largest food companies in South Korea — is a popular yogurt drink that is sold in easy-to-carry mini tubes, perfect for kids’ little hands.

Flickr/Henner Zeller

Sweden

Swedish kids are skipping juice at breakfast. Instead, they drink Swedish filmjolk, a sour milk drink that is high in lactic acid and aids in a healthier digestive system. It’s available in plain or sweetened varieties enhanced with sugar, jam, cinnamon, or berries.

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Taiwan

Kids in Taiwan steer toward the traditional with drinks like winter melon "tea” and Suanmeitang. Suanmeitang literally translates to “sour plum soup,” but it's a cold drink made from sour plums and rock sugar, popular for warding off summertime heat. Winter melon ‘tea’ is also a cold drink made from winter melon syrup, water, and cardamom. It’s said to have heath benefits and even makes skin bright.

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Tanzania

Tanzania is a tea producing country, so it’s only natural that kids would indulge in the stuff that’s close to home. Chai is popular part of family culture and is common in most households across all socio-economic levels. If they’re drinking juice, it’s most likely Azam fruit juice in tropical flavors like mango, guava, pineapple, and more. Look for the popular little triangular single-servings at stores and shops all over the country.